This was a very enjoyable book. Weston had wallowed in his own misery for long enough and realizes he needs to change his ways. Can Elise and her lovely daughter mend the wayward duke's ways?

Alexa Aston has begun a new series that will sweep you away. A group of boys, known as the Terrors, each find love in a separate novel of this great series. All of them forced to leave home by their families when accused of wrongdoings they didn’t commit they each much find their way in life, until fate pushes them each back home to take over as head of the families who abandoned them. A great premise and even better execution, I devoured the first two novels in this series and cannot wait to read the next.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion and honest review.

This is the third book in a series of five, there are crossover characters, but it reads well on it's own. At the start of the book the Duke of Treadwell, Weston Wallace is engaged to a beautiful woman. The night before their wedding he catches her in extremely disgraceful actions (which are described) and he dumps her. She lets it be known that he is the disgrace and he allows that. Thus he becomes a womanizer and therefore the "Duke of Disrepute". Years go by and he finds himself, cleans up his act, and decides to rejoin society but he has a reputation to battle. Our h, Lady Elise Ruthersby marries the first kind person to escape her belittling mother. She has a young daughter and is pregnant with her son when her spouse is killed in a carriage accident. Shortly after his birth her son abruptly dies (Hmm). She and her daughter are rescued from a carriage struck by a burning tree by our H! Subsequently Weston offers to guide her to finding a spouse if she will help him do the same. That's when it all becomes too predictable. The characters are interesting, but Elise seems too much of a doormat. Some of the sub characters are also interesting but you don't see them much. This is my first book by this author, it was well written and edited, you understand the characters backgrounds and motivations, but the plot needs some adjustments. The book was a good read, so I would recommend it to others.
I received an ARC from NetGalley. I chose to read the book and the review is mine alone.

The Most Eligible Viscount in London by Ella Quinn
Rating: 4-stars
Summary: Elise is a young widow, with her husband having died in a carriage accident a few years into their marriage. She has one daughter and a son who died after a few days. She is effectively the nanny to her two nephews as she has no where to turn other than to the new Lord takes over her home (she cannot go home as her mother is horrible and vain and refuses to have anything to do with Elise as she is a beautiful, younger version of her mother). Elise rushes home at her father’s request when she learns that her mother is dying. When she arrives, she discovers her father is dying, too. After the funeral, she is sent home by the new Lord of the manor in an old carriage that should have be scrapped long ago. Caught in a storm, the carriage is destroyed, and Elise ends up at Weston’s, the Duke of Treadwell, home. He remembers meeting her from several years prior and determines she will make a wonderful Duchess since he has found his way in life and wants to settle down.
Overall opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It started a little slow for me, but I loved that Weston knew he wanted Elise and planned to win her, even with his reputation. Their relationship is not just him wowing her in the bedroom; they come to know each other and let the sizzle build throughout the story. The engagements between him and Claire (Elise’s daughter) are also wonderful, showing that he does not care that he is not her biological father, but rather that she is a delightful child, and he wants to be there for her.
Now that I have read this book, I intend to find the other ‘Duke of’ novels, especially the Duke of Charm who is often mentioned in this book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Loved. loved Loved This. One. So. Much! I have loved all the books I've read by Alexa Aston, . But I think this one is my favorite so far. A must read

I wanted something more, but I just don't know what it is. The characters were good but the story didn't pull me in.

Reforming the Duke of Disrepute

They call him the Duke of Disrepute. Can he be reformed? What led Weston to the path of destruction? What he saw before his wedding day would change his life forever. He did everything he could to live up to his reputation. Could rescuing a lady change his life? I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to those who like Regency romance with rakes in dire need of reform. I just wish Elise’s in-laws paid a higher price for their meanness. Is that vindictive? Perhaps it is.

The blurb you provided is not correct. According to the book, Elise already has a daughter. She is pregnant when her husband is killed, and has a son who only lives a short while. This is a fairly important thing because there is some suspicion that is never investigated that the new earl did something nefarious which resulted in Elyse being a governess to her nephews instead of mother of the new earl.

My amazon review:
I am not sure whoever wrote that blurb has actually read the book. A lot of it is accurate, one major thing is not. Elise already has a daughter. She is lovely, and so is Elise. I won't go into specifics of what happens with Elise's pregnancy, but delivering a daughter is not it. That is a pet peeve. The rest of the book however, is entertaining and well written and enjoyable.

This trope of guy gets hurt, guy decides to meet every crappy expectation ever by becoming an irresponsible hedonist is kind of annoying and overplayed. Weston epitomizes this trope. He grows up on the book as he falls for Elise and becomes a more admirable person. Elise is a lovely, strong character in a horrible situation. She makes the best of it, and unlike Weston, doesn't become mired in bitterness.

The author develops the relationship nicely, despite relying on some tropes and glossing over some of the growth of the characters, especially Weston. Overall, enjoyable story.

I am loving each story in this series. This is Weston & Elise's story and it will draw you in from Page 1 so that you won't want to put the book down until you finish the story! Weston and Elise are both influenced by their pasts and long for a loving marriage partner and children. Weston had a fiancee that betrayed him. Elise's husband died in an accident, and her son when he was just three days old. Sit back and enjoy the journey that Alexa Aston takes us on to their HEA. You won't be disappointed!

The series of books on friends who happen to be dukes continues with the story of Weston Wallace, the Duke of Treadwell, AKA the Duke of Disrepute. And boy was he. After discovering a horrific secret about his fiancee the night before their wedding, he runs wild — with the rule that he only sleeps with a woman once. It is hard to see, at the beginning of the book, how Weston will redeem himself. After all, he neglected his sister horribly, as we learned in the previous book. But Alexa Aston manages to make us understand how devastated Weston was and why he became a cynical rake. And best of all, she shows how a person can be redeemed.
Even before he met Lady Elise Ruthersby — a widow with a daughter who is mistreated by her late husband's family — Weston is ready to change. When he meets her, Weston understands that change is possible and finds his way to being a better man. She is no shrinking violet, either, but life has not always treated her kindly — especially her inlaws, and the way they treat her like a servant. This is a sweet love story, where both people come together to make themselves better versions of themselves. Another wonderful entry in an enjoyable series. (I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)

I was surprised that I liked this book so much. It didn't have a lot of historical reference, but it was a great love story. The hero is engaged to a perfect future duchess, when he discovers something about her that forces him to end their betrothal. She spreads rumors about him and he starts to act them out. A year later, he dances with the heroine at her come out ball. Her mother had already warned her about him, but she enjoyed the dance. But since she didnt want to marry a rake, she was glad that he didnt take more interest in her. She finds a lovable, bookish Lord and marries him. He dies unexpectedly at the same time she discovers she is pregnant. Her son is born and dies after 3 days. She suspects the next in line, but has no proof. She is regulated to being a governess and her and her 2 year old daughter share a room off the nursery. She has to visit her parents because her mother, who washed her hands of her, is dying. She arrives home to find out her father suffered a heart attack. He kuves long enough to meet his grand daughter and passes. Her bitter mother passes the same day. She has to beg her cousin, the heir for a ride back. He puts her in the oldest carriage in the stables and on the way home, there is an accident. The hero, who had decided to turn over a new leaf, goes out in the storm to help her. He rescues them and on the way home realizes he is attracted to her. He insists they stay with him because they are hurt and he decides that she will be his next duchess. He vaguely recalls their dance and it just adds to his decision to marry her. In order to keep her near, he requests her help to find a bride and he will help her find a groom. But he has already decided she is going to be his bride.
This book was filled with how a widow is badly treated in that time period. The heirs wife stole her jewels that were her personal gifts from her husband and the heir never gave her the widow's portion she was due. They stole any means of support from her and forced her to become an unpaid drudge in their house. Thw duke does save her from that, but I really wanted them to pay. At least force the hair's wife to give back the stolen jewels. But otherwise, it was a good story. It read smoothly and there were a few grammar errors. I liked the characters and how they grew from the start to the end. I recommend this book with 4.5 stars.

This book is the second in Weston, the Duke of Treadwell, brother to the heroine in book 2, is one of Londons’ notorious rakes. Traumatized from a broken engagement, he’s cut a swath through the ton with his two friends over the years. By the time we get to his book, his friends are married, and he’s ready for something different too.

Lady Elise Ruthersby is a widow who has lost a child and a husband and becomes an unpaid governess role to the new Earl’s children. When her daughter and her get into a carriage accident, a reformed Weston rescues them.

He falls instantly in love with her daughter and her. But Lady Elise, after a bad marriage, needs a bit more time to come into her own. I loved that Weston gives that to her in the guise of “let me help you have a season and find a husband.”

I liked that Weston has to chase Lady Elise. Though she needs saving, she doesn’t fall instantly into his arms. I didn’t love Weston. While we get to see his reformation in the book, I hated how he went from utterly jaded to pollyanna-ish. His speech and mannerisms felt very wooden. It would have been nice to see him struggle more. I think this is why I loved that Elyse had all the power in their relationship.

One of the things I love about Alexa Aston’s books is that she condenses character histories into the first couple of chapters so that you get to see in real-time the adversity they face before the meeting. Also, after seeing Weston’s fiances betrayal, his jadedness felt justified. While it was nice to get to his story, this book wasn't my favorite in the series.

I love reading all of the series by Alexa Aston. This is the third book in the series and it doesn't disappoint. I have all ready pre-ordered #4 and #5. I also would like to recommend her series Hollywood Name game. There are some really good books in that series! While I did receive an advance copy from NetGalley, I actually purchased a copy before I even read it and I don't regret the purchase at ALL! 4.75 stars!

4.5-5 Stars! I really enjoyed this book! This is book 3 in the ‘Dukes of Distinction’ series. It can be read as a standalone. Weston & Elise, the main characters, were both easy to fall in love with. Elise’s daughter, Clare, and even Elise’s nephews, Joseph & Josiah, were easy to love too. I felt bad for Weston after learning the horrible secret his intended bride had & I felt for Elise and all the bad things she had to deal with in life, and there are many. This book has a HEA ending and I love the ending! I didn’t see it coming. I definitely recommend this book! I loved it so much, I plan on reading the previous 2 books in the series!
*I received this book at no charge from NetGalley & I voluntarily left this review.*

Duke of Disrepute is a fairly short but undeniably charming story about a reformed rake and a lovely young widow who find friendship on their way to finding love. It is part of a series (five dukes!) by Alexa Aston, but it was the first novel of Aston's that I've read.

Weston, the duke of this particular tale, had his heart broken on the eve of his wedding, which set him on a years-long descent into wicked rakishness. Seeing his dukely friends falling one by one into love has made him reconsider his role as the Duke of Disrepute, and he decides it's time to marry and set up his own nursery. He's not particularly keen on dealing with the marriage mart, though. It seems divine providence when he rescues Elise, the Dowager Countess of Ruthersby, and her young daughter from a carriage accident.

Weston quickly decides the young widow is going to be his duchess, but he knows she's had a rough time since losing her husband, being estranged from her parents, and being forced into acting as an unpaid governess for the new Lady Ruthersby's two sons. He decides to go slow and convinces Elise to help him navigate the coming Season and find a bride all the while planning to woo her.

Elise agrees to help him. From the first, she knows he is more than his moniker, so she doesn't think the task will be too difficult. She's wary though because she knows it would be easy to fall in love with him.

The basic story is uncomplicated. After the first quarter of the book (mostly bringing us up to speed on each of their pasts), the pace of their relationship is speedy. Weston is already reformed by then, and we know he is besotted with Elise and she with him. It's relaxing, I think, to read the occasional novel where there is no strife between the hero and heroine. Instead, the conflict comes from outside sources: Elise's jerky relatives and a longtime jealous enemy of Weston.

Normally, I wouldn't give a book with little action--no matter how lovely the protagonists--more than 4 stars, but this story hit me just right and at the right time. I'd like to read the first two novels now, and I look forward to the remaining two dukes' tales as well.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Weston was a man shattered by the actions of his fiance' that turned him into trying to destroy himself. At least his reputation. Elise, battered by her mother's belittlement had married the first decent man in her first season, but was now widowed with a beautiful daughter named Claire.

Luckily Weston realized he no longer wanted the life he had led and was determined to settle down and find his duchess. Little did he know, it would happen when he least expected!

"I do think we've met. Might you recall the occasion?" he asked, still drawn in by the unusual shade of her violet eyes. "I do, Your Grace. You danced with me several years ago. It was my come-out. My first ball.. My first dance." Weston remembered as if it were yesterday, all the years and scads of women falling away.

After meeting Weston in the previous story I was anxious to see what had happened to him. Needless to say, he won my heart when the true hero came out as this author so fabulously brings the emotions alive with her characters.. I could not wait to see what would happen! Perfect!

Elise and Weston have both been through heartache. Weston is trying to rise above his nickname, Duke of Disrepute, and Elise is looking for security for her daughter. As they begin to trust and love, they also find themselves. This is such a heartwarming story. I only wish there was more interaction between Elise and Weston. In the first 30% of the story they only had one brief meeting. Regardless, it is a book worth reading!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Head over heels in love with a woman who shocked his socks off (and, yes, we find out how), Weston Wallace, Duke of Treadwell became the Duke of Disrepute. A few years later he is forced to confront the consequences of his behavior, in particular the neglect of his sister. West runs away, finally determined to make a change. When he returns, he is a different man. Lady Elise Ruthersby has been ignored, neglected, or abused by everyone who should have taken care of her. Elise is a wonderful person. She takes care of her daughter and despite her ill treatment by their parents, teaches and cares for her nephews. Elise and West are brought together when he rescues her and her daughter from a horrible carriage accident. Has Fate brought them together? If so, good job. She could not have found two (three) people who needed each other more. This wonderful addition to the Dukes of Distinction has great characters and a captivating storyline. There is emotion, drama, rescue and redemption. There is a sad, but sweet connection between Elise and Phoebe that requires a tissue, and a lovely epilogue that will make you smile. I enjoyed and recommend this story.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Duke of Disrepute is the first Alexa Aston book I have read although I see she has quite an extensive backlist. Trigger warning: the novel contains several women who have lost one or more children in various ways.

In the beginning of the book Weston Wallace, the duke of Treadwell has blissful sex with a fiancee who promptly cheats him with a relative. He dumps the fiancee and turns into a hedonistic, philandering rakehell. He meets the heroine at her come-out ball and dances the first dance with her without ever being introduced but their conversation is extremely awkward and goes nowhere. He lives the rogue lifestyle for years until he gets a sudden change of heart for reasons that are not entirely clear. He disappears, does farmwork in disguise, makes some friends, returns home and starts putting things in order (somehow he is one of the wealthiest men in England yet his huge house in the countryside has no footmen). He wants to reform, marry and become a respectable, faithful husband. Love is not to be part of the equation due to his disappointment with his first fiancee, who has died in a carriage accident by now.

In the meantime, the heroine Elise has bluestocking tendencies. She gets married to a convenient earl and becomes estranged from both of her parents because her mother was mean and selfish. Elise was forbidden to write letters to her mother because she's too pretty and makes the mother look old. This made no sense to me as no one would know what correspondence Elise's parents received and what the writer looks like unless they told them. Elise becomes a mother of two but she soon loses her husband in a carriage accident, and soon afterwards her infant son dies too. I Her husband's heir and his wife are mean and selfish and make her an unpaid nanny. Then she loses both her parents in the space of a day. Her father's heir and his wife are mean and selfish and make her go back home to her late husband's estate in an unsafe vehicle. There is a carriage accident and a burning tree falls on the remains of the carriage. We're at 30% on my Kindle now, this is the third carriage accident, and the main couple is yet to meet again.

Somehow it feels like the book gets both a whirlwind quick start and a very slow start at the same time because heaps of things happen in very quick succession but there is an awful lot of backstory to crawl through before the main couple begin interacting. And for the multitude of death and loss in Elise's life, the tale of it felt rather emotionless. It is hinted that her son's death may have been a murder but then she just decides not to talk about it and the matter is never mentioned again so I am not sure what really happened.

The book might have worked better for me if it started with the conclusion of all this history: A cynical womanizer who is trying to reform his life rescues a small child and her widowed mother who are dependent on selfish relatives. Some of the backstory detail was probably unnecessary and the essential background information could have been sprinkled here and there in the couple's conversations while the relationship was going on.

To me the book gets a bit better when the couple meets. They get to know each other and the duke's other ducal friends (none of them are mean) while Elise and her daughter are convalescing in the duke's bachelor household (without chaperonage). They talk about their respective desires to get married, and make a pact to help each other find a suitable spouse during the season. Only Elise is really looking though, as the duke has decided his future duchess is to be Elise. Elise doesn't believe she is in the running although he's dropped enough hints, engaged in some scandalous behaviour with her, and acted quite paternal with her daughter.

There is a happy ending that is, however, darkened by the information that they will lose another child.

A minor continuity nitpick: a minor character is referred to as Lord Ivy throughout the book. His stepmother is Lady Ivy so it is presumed he inherited the title from his father. But later we find out that his father died sometime after we first heard of him, so he wouldn't yet have had his title.

I got a digital review copy from Netgalley and I'm leaving a honest, voluntary review.

Weston Wallace, Duke of Treadwell is ready to give up his reputation as the Duke of Disrepute. He’s ready to settle down and be the duke his father would want, but first to find a wife. Dower Countess Elise Ruthersby and her daughter are stranded in a rainstorm after an accident when Weston comes to their rescue. He’s quite intrigues with her and her daughter Claire and welcomes them to stay until they’re both healed from the carriage accident. A captivating book as these two make a bargain to help each other in the marriage mart, little does Elise know but Weston has already decide she’ll be his new Duchess. I’m loving these dukes who are in need of reforming and the woman who reform them! I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent story.